The communities of Walgett, Corinda, Collarenebri, Burren Junction and Lightning Ridge are living that trauma now and have been for nearly three years.

Quietly, and with little fanfare, farmers and businesses in the Upper Hunter who aren’t doing it as tough have come together to lend a hand.

It started early last month when “Murrumbo’s” Sue Gunn, on the Bylong Hall Committee, rallied the troops.

“We were baling the hay, the conditions here weren’t as bad, we had water in the dams and things were okay, so I thought we might be able to help and the call went out,” she said.

The plan was to get enough donated hay for five semi-trailer loads, do a few 1000km round trips to Walgett Shire Council and get Council to distribute it to the most needy landholders.

More than 16 semi loads later local generosity has been overwhelming, in fact gut-wrenching, and there’s been some grand gestures.

John Sowter, from Sowter’s Transport on the Denman Road near Muswellbrook, took 34 big round bales and 60 small bales 35km north west of Collarenebri.

He left at 3am drove nearly 1000km, returning at 7pm that night, providing the truck and waiving the cartage fee.

“I dropped the hay on a 17,000 acre property and the poor bloke only had 100 breeding stock left.

“He’d had no substantial rain for three years and he was there on his own because his wife had gone teaching in Rockhampton to keep food on the table,” Mr Sowter said.

The load he carried was donated by Mangoola’s Hordern family, the Richards from Dalswinton and the Davies from Bureen, and others who are anonymous, but shouldn’t be.

There are more farmers we don’t know; locally from Bunnan and Bylong, and further afield from Mudgee, Rylstone, Tamworth, Ardleathen, Laggan and Crookwell.

Denman Dapkos, Farmers Barn in Muswellbrook and Landmark in Scone have also contributed.

Miners Kepco and Meteor Estates have donated, as have Lowes Petroleum and a BP servo at Gulgong.

Sue Gunn’s husband, Jim Gunn, has taken five loads to the drought stricken north-west and John Meade, from the Bylong Valley, has carted four.

There are so many more who should be listed in this story but, as we go to press, we haven’t got time to find them.

“A slow natural disaster is happening a few hours away from where we live,” said Sue Gunn, “and these desperate farmers don’t ask for help; that’s just the way they are.”